March 22, 2020 (12:12pm)
I had no idea we'd enter into an arts famine just a few days later.
Like you, I'm reeling from the massive disruption to our daily lives due to the spread of COVID-19. I'm not used to empty grocery shelves, barren streets, working from home, homeschooling, and an encroaching fear of the unknown. The relentless news cycle talks of a situation that is worsening each day. Every industry has been hit hard with this global pandemic, and people's lives and livelihoods are equally threatened. I'm worried about my family, my parents and brothers in Illinois and New York who have gone into full lockdown mode, and I'm stressed about what this means for our future as a country. With people's essentials at stake- food, shelter, clothing, and health, the arts doesn't matter anymore to anyone . . . or does it?
I would submit that now, more than ever, the arts are essential for each of us.
In this new era of social distancing, the power of the arts helps us connect with others. We see videos of quarantined Italians on their balconies singing to each other, playing their instruments, and lifting their spirits through familiar melodies. Renown cellist Yo-Yo Ma is posting videos of performances using #songsofcomfort, asking others to join with him in sharing their musical talent to comfort others. The new Facebook group "Quarantined Cabaret" with 15K members and counting allows the diverse arts community to share their performances to inspire others and be inspired. Though all arts venues have closed, the pandemic has created a global audience, uniting the world through the power of the arts.
Where does that power come from?
Stephen Sondheim, American composer and lyricist, said, "Life is unpredictable. Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos. That's why people love storytelling; there is a beginning, middle and end." The truth is, a the core of every art form is storytelling. When you engage in the arts, whether through movement, melody, monologue, or medium, you tell your story. Art is a direct channel into our thoughts, a lifeline into our hearts, and it is way for us to share the human experience together, not alone.
During this time when we are mandated to be "hunkered down" and self-quarantined, the arts are not an unnecessary luxury. They are in fact critical to our survival, our emotional well-being and mental health. Though it has been extraordinarily difficult for the arts community specifically to be the first to shut down in March 2020, I know we will all look back and see that without the arts, whether books, music, puzzles, games, movies, none of us would have survived quarantine.
I would submit that now, more than ever, the arts are essential for each of us.
In this new era of social distancing, the power of the arts helps us connect with others. We see videos of quarantined Italians on their balconies singing to each other, playing their instruments, and lifting their spirits through familiar melodies. Renown cellist Yo-Yo Ma is posting videos of performances using #songsofcomfort, asking others to join with him in sharing their musical talent to comfort others. The new Facebook group "Quarantined Cabaret" with 15K members and counting allows the diverse arts community to share their performances to inspire others and be inspired. Though all arts venues have closed, the pandemic has created a global audience, uniting the world through the power of the arts.
Where does that power come from?
Stephen Sondheim, American composer and lyricist, said, "Life is unpredictable. Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos. That's why people love storytelling; there is a beginning, middle and end." The truth is, a the core of every art form is storytelling. When you engage in the arts, whether through movement, melody, monologue, or medium, you tell your story. Art is a direct channel into our thoughts, a lifeline into our hearts, and it is way for us to share the human experience together, not alone.
During this time when we are mandated to be "hunkered down" and self-quarantined, the arts are not an unnecessary luxury. They are in fact critical to our survival, our emotional well-being and mental health. Though it has been extraordinarily difficult for the arts community specifically to be the first to shut down in March 2020, I know we will all look back and see that without the arts, whether books, music, puzzles, games, movies, none of us would have survived quarantine.
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